Adoption

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will ensure that the children of parents misdiagnosed with fabricated or induced illness, Münchausen's syndrome by proxy, or borderline personality disorder are not subject to the recently announced fast-track adoption procedures.

Lord Hill of Oareford: This Government are not introducing new fast-track adoption procedures. We are however working with the courts and local authorities so that more looked-after children, for whom adoption is the right plan, are placed with prospective adopters more quickly. That may include greater use of concurrent planning, where a child is placed with foster carers who are also approved as adopters so that the child has a permanent and stable placement if he or she is not able to return to his or her birth parents.
	The decision that a child in care cannot safely return home must be made in the light of the best available evidence as to the capacity of the birth parent(s) to safeguard and promote the child's welfare including, where appropriate, medical evidence.

Agriculture: Foot and Mouth

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government what research they have funded since 2001 to validate pen-side test kits that verify the presence of foot and mouth disease virus; and whether there are any validated kits available in the United Kingdom.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Defra provided grants to the Institute for Animal Health (IAH) Pirbright. These grants funded a series of projects relating to the development of diagnostic technologies for FMD.
	
		
			 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 
			 £99,835 £245,558 £304,748 £321,045 £319,163 
		
	
	
		
			 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 £311,427 £317,280 £328,267 £415,058 £446,094 
		
	
	The IAH estimate that an average of 20-25 per cent of the total was related to specific research into pen-side test kits.
	Further core strategic funding was provided by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council to the IAH to complement FMD research grants. Part of this funding was allocated for the rapid, pen-side FMDv detector kit and is listed below:
	
		
			 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 
			 £3,900 £17,800 £2,900 
		
	
	Pen-side tests are not currently used as a conclusive diagnostic tool in GB, as the current technology and equipment does not support the determination of negative results in all circumstances. Therefore any samples taken from suspect animals will always need to be submitted for testing at the National Reference Laboratory for FMD, which is IAH Pirbright.
	The potential benefits of using pen-side tests in the future will be kept under review as the technology advances.
	There is currently one lateral flow device commercially available, this device was trialled successfully on one farm during the 2007 UK FMD outbreak, in conjunction with tests carried out at IAH, to diagnose FMD.

Barbara Hofschröer

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government what communications they have had with police and social services authorities in North Yorkshire about the case of Mrs Barbara Hofschröer and over what period; whether, and if so how, the case was referred to Interpol; and what action they now propose to take to resolve the issue.

Lord Henley: The Home Office has had no direct communication with the police or social services authorities in north Yorkshire in relation to the case of Mrs Barbara Hofschröer. The extent to which the Home Office can become involved in police complaint cases is clearly set out in legislation and the Government are unable to act in a way that is not in accordance with that. This means the Home Office is not able to act as an avenue of appeal, and has no power to influence or intervene in any investigations or decisions made by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Corporate Governance and Accountability

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to improve companies' reporting of environmental and social risks.

Baroness Wilcox: The department is currently consulting on proposals to improve the quality of narrative reporting by companies, including on environmental and social issues. I would be happy to consider any specific points that the noble Lord wishes to raise as part of the consultation.

Crime: Metal Theft

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the proportion of power cuts that are due to metal thefts.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: DECC does not hold data that would allow an estimate to be made of the proportion of power cuts that are due to metal thefts. Data are collected by the Energy Networks Association through its Security Incident Reporting System (SIRS) database. These figures show that the number of incidents of metal theft per year has increased from 5,288 in 2010 to 6,757 as of 17 November 2011 but do not allow an estimate to be made of the proportion of power cuts that are due to metal thefts. Although Ofgem collect data on customer minutes lost attributable to a range of causes, metal theft is currently not separately identifiable and therefore these data do not allow an estimate to be made. Ofgem are looking to address this by introducing metal theft as a separate cause.

Egypt

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations against any proposal for the military to nominate a majority on the council to draft a new constitution for Egypt.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Egyptian constitutional declaration of 30 March specifies that the members of both Houses of Parliament should meet in a joint session, following an invitation from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, to elect a constitutional assembly. We continue to encourage the Egyptian authorities to implement the commitments they have made on the handling of the transition process in Egypt and ensure that process leads to a constitution widely accepted by the people with robust guarantees for the human rights of all.

Egypt

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have been invited to send observers to the parliamentary and presidential elections in Egypt.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK is committed to supporting the process of political transition in Egypt, including the forthcoming parliamentary elections. The Egyptian authorities have informed our ambassador in Cairo that diplomats and foreign media can have limited access to polling stations. Our embassy in Cairo will witness the election process informally, in line with these conditions.
	Through the UK's Arab Partnership Fund, we are also supporting the Carter Center to observe the parliamentary elections, and are working with the Thomson Reuters Foundation and BBC World Service Trust to support impartial electoral coverage by building the capacity of both independent and state media.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 7 November (WA 8), how have the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority confirmed that gamete providers whose resulting embryos were used in research without their consent were promptly notified by licensed staff at the centres concerned.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 19 October (WA 71-2), what steps were taken by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to ensure that gamete providers were informed that embryos were used in research without their consent at centre 0102 between 20 December 2005 and 2 May 2006; what were the circumstances in which this came to light; which concerns associated with properly informed consent pertained to Research Licence R0075 and Research Licence R0133 at the time; and what has been the history of relations with the HFEA of the Person Responsible for Research Licence R0075 and the Nominal Licensee for Research Licence R0133.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the issues to which the noble Lord refers came to light during the inspection, in respect of research licences R0133 and R0075, on 2 May 2006. The findings of the inspection were considered by a HFEA licence committee on 26 July 2006. The inspection report and minutes of the Licence Committee are published on the HFEA's website at: http://guide.hfea.gov.uk/guidefinspection Report.aspx?code=102&s=1&&nav=4&archive=1.
	The HFEA has advised that the available records do not set out in any detail the steps taken by the authority with regards to the centre informing the gamete providers. The HFEA has also advised that it does not comment on its relationship with any person responsible or nominal licensees.

Energy: Biofuels

Lord Teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether bioliquids will be included in the renewable heat incentive.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: As stated in the renewable heat incentive policy document (published in March), we are considering whether to support bioliquids as part of developing the second phase of the scheme.

Energy: Electricity

Lord O'Neill of Clackmannan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of (a) how many phantom megawatts have been purchased by the National Grid from short-term operating reserve aggregators in the past year; and (b) what effect that has had on the price of electricity for consumers.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of phantom megawatts on the security of supply of electricity in the United Kingdom.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce an independent auditor of the delivery of contracts between short-term operating reserve aggregators and National Grid.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: The system operator, National Grid, procures balancing services in order to balance demand and supply and to ensure the security and quality of electricity supply across the GB transmission system. These balancing services include short-term operating reserve (STOR).
	National Grid has contracts, monitoring processes and penalties in place to minimise the risk of paying for capacity that cannot deliver when required. In addition Ofgem places commercial incentives on National Grid to ensure it balances the system efficiently and provides value for consumers, which it assesses regularly.
	The Government have not assessed, audited or monitored the performance of STOR providers, or the participation of publicly owned generators in STOR and do not plan to introduce an independent audit.

Energy: Suppliers

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Marland on 16 November (HL13188) concerning the price of energy, how they define small suppliers".

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: For the purpose of exempting small energy suppliers from participation in certain environmental and social programmes, the Government have set a threshold based on customer numbers.
	Firms with fewer than 250,000 customers are not required to participate in the warm home discount scheme. In addition the Government announced in June that suppliers with fewer than 250,000 customers would not be required to contribute to the carbon emissions reduction target and the community energy saving programme for the final year of these schemes.

Energy: Tariffs

Lord Teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the suitability of Ofgem's retail market reform tariff simplification proposals for small energy retailers.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: The Government support Ofgem's proposals to simplify tariffs so that consumers can compare prices between suppliers more easily.
	Ofgem is due to publish its detailed proposals for tariff simplification in a consultation document at the end of this month. The consultation will include an assessment of the impact of the proposals on suppliers, including small suppliers.
	Ofgem's retail market review also included proposals to boost wholesale liquidity in the electricity market, which will make it easier for small suppliers to compete in the retail market.

Energy: Tariffs

Lord Teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of liquidity in the wholesale power markets in relation to Ofgem's retail market reform tariff simplification proposals.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: The Government believe that consumers deserve the best possible deal, which means effective competition in the marketplace. Poor wholesale market liquidity is acting as a significant barrier to entry in electricity wholesale and retail markets. A key aim of electricity market reform (EMR) is to encourage new entrants.
	Ofgem has published its proposals aimed at addressing poor liquidity and expects to reach conclusions at the end of this year. We are working closely with Ofgem to ensure that taken together EMR and Ofgem's reforms reduce barriers to entry and deliver the necessary improvements in wholesale market liquidity.

Exports

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what mechanisms exist to ensure that export policy is aligned with the United Kingdom's foreign policy.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Export Control Organisation (ECO) of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is the UK licensing authority for strategic exports. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office acts in a policy advisory capacity, providing the ECO with advice and analysis on the foreign policy aspects relevant to consideration of export licence applications against the consolidated European Union and national arms export licensing criteria. More detailed information can be found in the United Kingdom Strategic Export Controls Annual Report 2010, laid before Parliament on 18 July 2011. This annual report can also be found at http://www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/publications/annual-reports/strategic-export-controls-annual-report-10.

Gaza

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessments they have received of the nutritional state of children in Gaza.

Baroness Northover: The situation in Gaza remains fragile, with 66 per cent of the population dependent on food aid. While we have not received any assessments specifically on the nutritional state of children in Gaza, we are aware that children's growth and health are particularly susceptible to the effects of an inadequate diet. Our support to the World Food Programme will provide food vouchers to 5,750 poor households. For just $18.50 per person, these vouchers cover 70 per cent of a household's food needs for a month.

Gift Aid

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by the Minister for Civil Society, Mr Nick Hurd, on 17 October (Official Report, Commons, col. 719W), whether the concept of service in return for custom is recognised by the Charity Commission with respect to gift aid contributions.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Gift aid is one of a number of fiscal benefits available to charities. Gift aid increases the value of donations to charities and community amateur sports clubs (CASCs) by allowing them to reclaim basic rate tax on qualifying donations. Higher rate and additional rate tax payers can themselves claim tax relief on their donations. Donors can receive benefits in connection with their donation as long as the value of the benefit does not exceed the gift aid benefit limits set out in the gift aid legislation. Charity and donor tax exemptions and reliefs are administered by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, rather than the Charity Commission.

Health: Bowel Disease

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the NHS outcomes framework will help people who suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, and in particular Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Earl Howe: The NHS Outcomes Framework 2011-12, published in December 2010, signalled the direction of travel for the National Health Service in focusing on outcomes. The framework was designed to cover a balanced set of national outcome goals, which reflect the breadth of treatment activity that the NHS is responsible for delivering.
	Although there are not specific outcome indicators for inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis in the NHS outcomes framework, we would expect progress to be captured under Domain 2: Enhancing the Quality of Life for People with Long-term Conditions. This domain of the framework deliberately takes a generic approach to long-term conditions to ensure that no patients are excluded.
	However, the Secretary of State will not be setting out how these outcomes should be delivered, it will be for the NHS Commissioning Board to determine how best to deliver improvements by working with clinical commissioning groups.
	The NHS Commissioning Board will have various tools and levers at its disposal to help deliver improved outcomes, which include the library of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) quality standards; the commissioning outcomes framework, which the NHS Commissioning Board will use to hold clinical commissioning groups to account; and other payment mechanisms between the NHS Commissioning Board, commissioners and providers. A quality standard on the management of ulcerative colitis is currently being developed by NICE.
	The tools and levers available to the NHS Commissioning Board are described more fully in both the NHS Outcomes Framework 2011-12, and Liberating the NHS: Legislative Framework and Next Steps, which can be accessed via the following links:
	www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/@ps/documents/digitalasset/dh_123138.pdf.
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_122661.
	Copies have already been placed in the Library.

House of Lords: Hansard

Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield: To ask the Chairman of Committees what assessment he has made of the possibility of providing greater electronic access for the public to historic Hansard data on Millbank Systems' experimental web domain; what plans have been made to host the information on the parliamentary website; and what steps are being taken to digitise data that are not currently available on the experimental website.

Lord Brabazon of Tara: The Historic Hansard web pages and search engine are hosted on Millbank Systems' web domain on behalf of Parliament and are available to all users of the web. The service is supported on a "best endeavours" basis. PICT and staff from the departments of Information Services of both Houses are currently investigating the options for maintaining and enhancing the current service, and for placing the technical support arrangements on a more sustainable footing. Work is also under way to safeguard the Historic Hansard XML data and page images through the digital preservation project, which is led by the Parliamentary Archives. One of the options under consideration for Historic Hansard would involve integrating the historic web pages with the archive of more recent Hansard material on the website and enabling users to browse and search across the full Hansard record in a more seamless fashion. The timescales, benefits and costs of that approach are being assessed. This project, along with others, has been included in a digitisation programme, which will review requests to digitise parliamentary material currently only available in hard copy. Digitised content from these projects will be added to the main parliamentary website or through partnership websites so that it is easier for users to access the material. More information about the various projects included in this programme of work will be published on the intranet in due course.

Israel and Palestine

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take to reinforce the joint United States-United Kingdom protest to the Government of Israel about their withholding of tax collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.

Lord Howell of Guildford: On 14 November the Israeli cabinet voted to continue to withhold the transfer of tax revenues owed to the Palestinian Authority.
	We have made clear to the Israeli Government at the highest levels that this move, which could result in the collapse of the Palestinians Authority, is in no one's interest, particularly Israel itself given the importance of continued co-operation between the Israeli Defence Forces and Palestinian Authority Security Forces.
	We will continue our concerted efforts with the US and European partners to convince the Israeli Government to release the tax revenues without delay.

Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill [HL]

Baroness Worthington: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the Secretary of State for Justice, Kenneth Clarke, on the compatibility of the provisions of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill with the rights under the European Convention on Human Rights, how the proposals are compatible with rights to access to justice; and what similar assessment they have made in respect of the Bill's compatibility with the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms.

Lord McNally: In respect of legal aid, the Bill protects the fundamental right of access to justice, which is guaranteed by the Human Rights Act 1998, and any rights to the provision of legal services that are enforceable EU rights, through the areas retained in scope within Schedule 1 to the Bill, and through the exceptional funding provision in Clause 9 of the Bill. The exceptional funding provision in Clause 9 will ensure that in individual cases, where the failure to provide legal aid would be likely to amount to a breach of an individual's convention rights (within the meaning of the Human Rights Act) or enforceable EU rights, exceptional funding for that individual will be available, subject to a merits and means test.
	The European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights does not confer new rights: rather, it reaffirms fundamental rights recognised in European Union law and which therefore form part of the United Kingdom's European Union obligations. The Government's view is that the Bill is compatible with those obligations. It follows that the obligations in relation to the rights set out in the charter have also been met.

North Korea

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the recent findings of the head of the United Nations Office of Co-ordination for Humanitarian Affairs, Baroness Amos, on food shortages, famine and malnutrition in North Korea following her visit to that country.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We welcome the recent findings from Baroness Amos' visit to North Korea.
	Baroness Amos' assessment notes chronic poverty, underdevelopment and poor infrastructure. There are clearly signs of malnutrition where one in two people are stunted in growth and the daily diet contains no protein or oil/fat.
	The United Nations (UN) recently completed a crop and food assessment that indicated the harvest this year would have little effect on improving food supply. Food production itself is extremely poor, where the land is underfertilised and overfarmed without the benefit of mechanical equipment.
	Baroness Amos has urged the authorities in Pyongyang to lead efforts to address the humanitarian situation by undertaking a thorough policy review on nutrition and investment, and establishing trust with the international donor community by providing reliable data and granting access for all UN agencies and non-governmental organisations.
	Both are courses of action we would support. We believe that the Department for International Development's investment in the various multilateral organisations working in North Korea represents the best way for the UK to make a financial contribution towards helping alleviate the situation in the country.

Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McNally on 27 October (WA 182) which stated that human rights law applies to all parts of the United Kingdom, why there is a separate Human Rights Commission for Northern Ireland.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Belfast agreement, which the noble Lord's party voted for, provides for the establishment of a Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.

Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Shutt of Greetland on 17 October (WA 27), whether the Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, as the Irish Government's nominee to the United Nations Human Rights Council, remains subject to rules of procedure that prevent him discussing the human rights situation in the Republic of Ireland, and whether those rules will require him to recuse himself when any Northern Ireland issues are discussed.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Government cannot comment on the rules of procedure of the UNHRC on which the Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission serves in an independent capacity. The noble Lord may wish to write directly to the chief commissioner on this matter.

Patrick Finucane

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have had any contact with the Finucane family since the meeting between the Prime Minister and Mrs Finucane on 11 October.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Government have had no contact with the Finucane family since their meeting with the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 11 October. I understand from the press release made by the Pat Finucane review on 10 November that they have recently written to the Finucane family seeking a meeting with them at the earliest opportunity. The Government remain hopeful that they will co-operate with the review.

Patrick Finucane

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Sir Desmond de Silva QC has begun his examination of available materials in the Patrick Finucane case.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Sir Desmond de Silva was appointed as chairman of the Pat Finucane review on 13 October 2011, and has been asked to provide a full public account to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland by December 2012 for the purpose of its publication. The review is entirely independent of Government. How the work of the review is taken forward is a matter for Sir Desmond.

Planning

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they will provide on the preparation of local plans and other development plan documents following the withdrawal of Planning Policy Statement 12, in particular relating to the preparation of core strategies, adopted proposals maps, area action plans and supplementary planning documents.

Baroness Hanham: Planning Policy Statement 12 remains in place until such time as it is replaced by the national planning policy framework. The draft national planning policy framework aims to strengthen local decision making and reinforce the importance of local plans. We will therefore work closely with local authorities to ensure that appropriate transitional arrangements are in place before the new framework comes into force. We are considering options for planning guidance generally in light of responses to the consultation on the draft national planning policy framework.

Planning

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Communities and Local Government Plan-making Manual is still in place as advice to local planning authorities; whether they intend to withdraw, revise or replace the manual; and, if so, when this will take place.

Baroness Hanham: The Plan-Making Manual is best practice guidance to local authorities on the production of development plan documents. It is still in place.
	Questions 4(a) and 4(b) to the consultation on the draft national planning policy guidance asked what light-touch guidance should accompany the new framework, and what organisations are best placed to provide it. We are now reviewing the responses to that consultation.

Police: Demonstrations

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many people were in attendance at the demonstration as part of the annual march against deaths in custody on 30 October; how many police officers were deployed for this event; how many arrests were made; for how long people were kettled in Whitehall, and why; how many complaints have been made about the actions and behaviour of the special Territorial Support Group officers; and what threat to public order this event represented.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the police tactics and behaviour at the demonstration against deaths in custody on 30 October will contribute to (a) improved community-police relations, and (b) the avoidance of any future disturbances as a result of perceived police brutality against minority ethnic and deprived communities.

Lord Henley: The policing of demonstrations and marches are operational matters for the police. Complaints about police officer conduct are matters for the relevant police force, the associated Police Authority and the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Police: Discipline

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many police officers have been disciplined for gross misconduct on the grounds of race or sex discrimination during the past five years; with what outcomes; and in which constabularies.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any police officers have been dismissed from the service on the grounds of racial discrimination or racist conduct; and, if so, how many and in which constabularies.

Lord Henley: The Home Office does not hold this information.

Police: Discipline

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to propose any new process in the appointment of members to a police authority service who have resigned from other police services.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the arrangements under which a complaint made against a member of the police is not investigated if that member resigns from the force.

Lord Henley: The Police Conduct Regulations (2008) contain the standards of professional behaviour that police officers are expected to maintain. Failure to reach those standards can lead to disciplinary action being taken by their police force.
	Misconduct investigations and proceedings are ended if the officer concerned resigns, because the disciplinary action available in these circumstances (management advice, written warning or dismissal) is only relevant to a serving officer. However, resignation does not prevent alleged criminal activities from being pursued. Officers who resign can still be arrested, questioned, have their person or property searched and, if the circumstances warrant, be charged and prosecuted.
	All officers are vetted prior to appointment. Such checks with a former force should show a previous record of an outstanding misconduct investigation at the point of resignation. Any decision to appoint would then have to be made in that context, and following any further inquiries on that point. Guidance on vetting: the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and ACPO's national vetting policy for the police community was updated in august 2010.
	Investigations launched following a complaint by a member of the public can be discontinued only with the permission of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), and resignation does not prevent an investigation from being carried out, a report from being prepared, conclusions from being reached or indeed a complaint from being substantiated.

Police: Operational Independence

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to protect the operational independence of the police in England and Wales.

Lord Henley: The operational independence of the police is a fundamental principle of British policing. The Government took a power in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act for the Secretary of State to issue a statutory protocol, which the Home Secretary laid before Parliament on Monday 21 November 2011. This protocol sets out, in one place, how chief officers will interact with their police and crime commissioner (PCC) and their wider policing partners in order to provide open, transparent and accountable policing for our communities.
	The protocol reasserts the Government's position that each chief constable is accountable to the law for the exercise of police powers, and to the PCC for the delivery of efficient and effective policing, management of resources and expenditure by the police force. At all times the chief constable, their constables and staff, remain operationally independent in the service of the communities that they serve.

Railways: Franchises

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will enable franchisees in new rail franchises to follow the recommendations of Sir Roy McNulty's independent rail value for money study Realising the Potential of GB Rail.

Earl Attlee: The Government are committed to a major reform of rail franchising that will benefit both passengers and taxpayers.
	In line with, and supported by, the recommendations of Sir Roy McNulty's independent rail value for money study, our reforms will create longer, less prescriptive franchises that will give the industry more freedom to innovate. In addition, they will provide more incentives to invest and reduce costs, at the same time as addressing passenger needs. They will also encourage greater partnership working between train operators and Network Rail.
	The circumstances surrounding different franchises are not the same. Each franchise will therefore need to be designed on a case-by-case basis as we move forward with our franchise renewal programme over the coming months.

Rhinoceroses

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make further representations to the Government of Vietnam regarding the illegal trade in black rhino horns and its impact on the rhino population.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK is very concerned about the plight of the rhino in the wild and the relatively recent surge in trafficking in its horn. The UK raised this at meetings of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) standing committee earlier this year, and at a workshop we chaired and co-funded in South Africa in September. Vietnam was represented at the workshop. Under this workshop, and a CITES working group, called for by the UK, we expect to continue to liaise with the Vietnamese authorities on urgent steps to address trafficking in rhino horn. One of the main areas of concern is the poaching and smuggling of rhino horn from the Republic of South Africa. Our embassy in Hanoi has offered to support the South African Embassy in Hanoi to explore the possibility of joint working to tackle the smuggling of black rhino horn. Additionally, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office helped fund a project with the Wildlife Conservation Society to conduct a baseline study on wildlife trade and consumption in Vietnam. The study secured $1 million of Global Environmental Facility (World Bank) funding to reform Vietnamese wildlife management policies and practices, and to strengthen biodiversity conservation. That project will commence in March 2012 and will encompass traditional medicine, the main use of black rhino horn in Vietnam, where it is believed to be a cure for cancer.

Schools: Collective Worship

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will undertake a consultation on collective worship in schools with a view to updating their 1994 guidance on the matter, covering, inter alia, the extent of references to a supernatural being and the provision of information on the right to withdraw children from collective worship.

Lord Hill of Oareford: We have no plans to update the 1994 guidance on collective worship.

Schools: Funding

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the funding per pupil in voluntary aided schools will be less than the funding per pupil in an academy in the same local authority area if the local authority central spend equivalent element of an academy's general annual grant is disregarded.

Lord Hill of Oareford: We aim to fund academies at the same level as equivalent schools in the same local authority area, and the academies funding system is designed to achieve this. Academies' funding agreements specify that their funding should be equivalent to their maintained peers. They are therefore funded according to the local funding formula that applies to maintained schools, including voluntary aided schools. There may be legitimate differences within this formula in recognition of voluntary aided schools' specific responsibilities and costs.

Surveillance: Telecommunications

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the statement by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on 8 November that "The Government actively discourage all trade with Iran. We take any reports of exports being misused overseas seriously. It does not appear that the exporter has broken the law", (a) what steps they took to discourage Creativity Software from trading with Iran, and when; (b) what consideration they have given to reports detailing the use of British exports in Iran; (c) which Ministers were involved in that consideration; (d) whether the Government's Law Officers were consulted in determining whether the law had been broken; and (e) whether they intend to ban Creativity Software from further exports of telephone intercept equipment to Iran.

Baroness Wilcox: Surveillance equipment, including telephone intercept equipment, covers a wide variety of equipment and software that is generally not controlled in view of the legitimate commercial applications for which it can be used. Creativity Software is under no obligation to apply for export licences unless the equipment is controlled. In those circumstances, these applications are considered on a case-by-case basis against the consolidated EU and UK export licensing criteria in the light of prevailing circumstances and paying particular attention to allegations of human right abuses. The UK will not issue licences where we judge there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used to facilitate internal repression.

UK Border Agency: Staff

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government in which overseas diplomatic missions staff of the UK Border Agency are based; how many are in each mission; and how many of those have full diplomatic status and how many are locally employed non-United Kingdom passport holders.

Lord Henley: The requested figures are shown in the table placed in the House Library. It is UK Border Agency policy not to disclose staff figures of blocks lower than five, hence some of the figures cannot be disclosed and the lines in the table are blank. It is not possible to identify which staff have full diplomatic status except at disproportionate cost. In addition to UK based British nationals employed overseas, British passport holders are employed overseas as locally engaged staff. It is not possible to identify these except at disproportionate cost.
	Source: Staffcount 14 November 2011
	The data are based on management information. It is provisional and subject to change.
	
		
			 Post UK Based Headcount LE Headcount Total 
			 Abu Dhabi 41 133 174 
			 Abuja 35 69 104 
			 Accra 13 27 40 
			 Addis Ababa
			 Algiers
			 Almaty   6 
			 Amman 7 16 23 
			 Amsterdam
			 Ashgabat
			 Asmara
			 Athens
			 Baghdad
			 Bahrain
			 Baku
			 Bandar Seri Begawan
			 Bangkok 14 25 39 
			 Banjul
			 Barcelona
			 Beijing 19 43 62 
			 Beirut   6 
			 Belgrade   12 
			 Belmopan
			 Bogota   19 
			 Bridgetown
			 Brisbane
			 Bucharest
			 Budapest
			 Buenos Aires
			 Cairo 10 14 24 
			 Canberra
			 Caracas
			 Castries
			 Chennai 22 63 85 
			 Chisinau
			 Chongqing
			 Colombo   13 
			 Copenhagen   6 
			 Dakar
			 Damascus
			 Dar Es Salaam
			 Dhaka 11 36 47 
			 Doha   6 
			 Dubai   6 
			 Dublin   8 
			 Dushanbe
			 Frankfurt
			 Freetown
			 Gaborone
			 Georgetown
			 Guangzhou 11 19 30 
			 Guatemala
			 Hanoi
			 Harare
			 Havana
			 Helsinki
			 Ho Chi Minh City
			 Hong Kong   9 
			 Islamabad 18 86 104 
			 Istanbul 15 33 48 
			 Jakarta   9 
			 Jerusalem
			 Kampala
			 Khartoum
			 Kiev 6 12 18 
			 Kigali
			 Kingston   19 
			 Kinshasa
			 Kuala Lumpur
			 Kuwait   10 
			 La Paz
			 Lagos 13 25 38 
			 Lilongwe
			 Lima
			 Lisbon
			 Ljubljana
			 Luanda
			 Lusaka
			 Madrid   11 
			 Manila 20 39 59 
			 Melbourne
			 Mexico City
			 Miami
			 Milan
			 Minsk
			 Montevideo
			 Moscow 24 34 58 
			 Mumbai 22 63 85 
			 Muscat
			 Nairobi 14 28 42 
			 New Delhi 44 93 137 
			 New York   49 
			 Nicosia (South)
			 Oslo
			 Panama City
			 Paris   25 
			 Phnom Penh
			 Podgorica
			 Port Louis
			 Port Moresby
			 Port of Spain
			 Prague
			 Pretoria 27 45 72 
			 Pristina
			 Pyongyang
			 Rabat   9 
			 Rangoon   6 
			 REG-Euro-Med
			 Reykjavik
			 Riga
			 Rio de Janeiro  9 9 
			 Riyadh 6 12 18 
			 Rome   22 
			 Santiago
			 Santo Domingo
			 Sarajevo
			 Seoul
			 Shanghai 8 21 29 
			 Singapore
			 Skopje   7 
			 Sofia
			 Stockholm  8 8 
			 Suva
			 Taipei
			 Tallinn
			 Tashkent   6 
			 Tbilisi
			 Tehran 6 19 25 
			 Tel Aviv
			 Tirana   8 
			 Tokyo
			 Tunis
			 Ulaanbaatar
			 Valletta
			 Vienna
			 Warsaw   13 
			 Washington
			 Wellington
			 Yaounde
			 Yerevan
			 Zagreb
			 Grand Total 523 1,398 1,921 
		
	
	It is UK Border Agency policy not to disclose staff figures that would identify blocks of staff below or equal to five as this could in some circumstances identify individuals.

Vets: Nurses

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will introduce measures to make veterinary nursing a profession regulated by statute in order to offer the public a better assurance of the quality of service they receive and to safeguard the health and welfare of animals cared for by veterinary nurses.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: There are no current plans to introduce statutory regulation of veterinary nurses. It is a matter for the RCVS to develop the detail of such proposals and present them to the department, at which point we would consider if it was appropriate to bid for parliamentary time. Defra and the RCVS maintain a close dialogue on many aspects of veterinary regulation.